


The End of Light - Book 1 of The Light series

by TheLoneRebels



Series: The Light [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Tragedy, Dubious Anakin/Padme, F/M, Incoming smut, Oh Anakin..., Rebound Obi-Wan/Padme, Sidious is a slimy scheming bastard, This One's Gonna Hurt, Very dubious Ahsoka/Bane, be careful what you ask for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:27:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24332788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLoneRebels/pseuds/TheLoneRebels
Summary: Feeling betrayed by everyone around him, this is the a.u. story of how Anakin turned into a suitless Vader nearly a year earlier than canon after Ahsoka left him. Except it wasn't entirely her fault; she'd been stolen by Bane before she even had a chance to change her mind again.M for now. Rating will go up when the lemons show up! :P
Relationships: Cad Bane/Ahsoka Tano, Darth Sidious & Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sheev Palpatine & Anakin Skywalker
Series: The Light [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044579
Comments: 23
Kudos: 56





	1. Abandoned

**Hello there!**

**Thank you all soooooo much for checking out my story! If you like it, it's very inspiring to me if you let me know in some way, and thank you in advance for every kudos, sub, or nice review; they're my own version of caffeine. :D :D :D :D :D**

**For those who really wish I would write a one shot of their idea or would just really like to see a certain story bump up to the top of my rotation, check out the pinned post on my Facebook page, TheLoneRebel's Stories, for info. You can also find my updating schedule there and blurbs from some of my chapters. :D**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own any Star Wars characters and any OC's that resemble real people are entirely coincidental.**

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**There is an explanation of how my calendar works and a list of helpful translations for my commonly used Star Wars words in 'Flame of Hope - Everyone' if you're curious.**

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**Warning: This story will include scenes that address non-consent.**

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**A/N: This story started life in my mind as a new prologue for 'Bring Back the Light' and from there turned into an entire story all on it's own that was going to be way too long to call a prologue. So I'm officially turning this into a series of smaller stories that I think will work well. I hope you agree. :D**

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**  
** ** The End of Light **

** Book 1 of The Light series **

**Abandoned:**

_D83/20 BBY, Coruscant_

As Ahsoka started down the Temple stairs, her silhouette framed by the setting sun, Anakin felt the vast majority of what was left of his heart wither and die. The pain in his chest nearly brought him to his knees as he gripped her silka beads so hard in his mechanical hand that he actually crushed some of them.

 _“Please. Please don’t leave me,”_ he’d begged down their bond as his beloved Padawan had taken those first steps away from him.

She’d let him feel her sorrow, regret, and determination for a moment before thinking back, _“I’m sorry, Master. I have to.”_ And then she’d closed off her end of the bond, all but killing him from the rejection.

He watched, unable to turn away and trembling from the grief that ripped through him, until the last tip of her montrals disappeared below his line of sight, the only thought in his stunned mind being, _Why?_

And then she was gone, truly gone. He couldn’t see her, couldn’t hear her above the never-ending traffic, couldn’t feel her through the Force, not even in a generic way, as all of his senses seemed to shut down with her leaving. Tears stung his widely staring eyes that saw nothing but the last image of her silhouette that would be forever imprinted on his mind. His ears roared with the sound of speeders and his own heartbeat that felt like it was stuttering with each of his gasping breaths.

_I have no one left in the Order._

_No one._

_Ahsoka is gone._

_And Obi-Wan... Obi-Wan. He doesn’t care about me anymore. Maybe he never did. He’s always held me back and refused to listen to my important visions. He supported the Council’s decision to give Padmè a different bodyguard when she asked, ruining my best chance to win her. Brushed off my pleas to go save my mother. Ran off to see his Duchess at every opportunity, leaving me to do all of his work in the GAR. He didn’t even care enough to let me know that he wasn’t dead._

_And maybe worst of all, he sided with the Council instead of me about Ahsoka’s innocence._

_That, I can never forgive._

_Never._

Somehow. Somehow, he forced his body to turn around and walk back into the Temple. Back to the traitors and hypocrites who’d accused his Padawan of murder, tossed her out of the Order like garbage, and then offered to let her back in with one of the most half-assed apologies of all time.

He didn’t blame her for leaving them.

Him, yes.

But not them.

_Why do I stay with them? What’s the point?_

_They don’t want a Chosen One. Not really. Most of them are afraid of my power. The rest still treat me like a child._

_Why? Why should I stay?!_

_I shouldn’t!_

_I won’t!_

He looked down at the string of beads dangling from his clenched hand, ideas forming like bubbles of joy. _I can join Ahsoka, go wherever she wants. Maybe we can win this war without the Order. I know the two of us together are strong enough to take on Grievous and Dooku._

_Yes. That sounds right! That’s what I’ll do!_

_First, to tell off those karking idiots._

_I’ve always wanted to do that._

A truly vicious smile settled on his lips as Anakin rode the lift up to the Council chamber. Without really looking at them, he tucked the Padawan beads into a pouch on his belt just before the door opened to the waiting area outside the High Council chambers.

The Temple Guards standing on either side of the doorway only nodded as he swept by them, used to see him coming and going from the chamber on a regular basis thanks to many mission briefings and scoldings.

Anakin strode through the antechamber and into the center of the circle of chairs in the main room that was almost surrounded by windows overlooking the city. He was pleased to see that the rest of the council had been summoned via holo image while he was gone and that everyone was sitting in their chairs. He liked that he’d have the advantage of standing over them.

They’d hushed as he first entered, so he’d only caught the tail end of a sentence by Windu involving the words, ‘Barriss’ and ‘Trial’. That also pleased him, knowing that the real murderer would see justice.

“Goodbye to your Padawan, did you say?” Yoda asked as Anakin came to a stop.

“Yes, I did,” _No thanks to you bastards._ “But only temporarily, I hope.”

As a whole, the Council tensed in their chairs.

Obi-Wan looked at him warily. “What do you mean, Anakin?”

He looked back at his former Master coldly, no affection left for the older man left in his heart. “I mean that I’m done with this farce of an Order. You preach one thing, but practice something else entirely. Peace? Where is the peace in a war that you aid? Knowledge? You like to pretend to be all knowing, but you know nothing, all blinded by the Dark side that you’ve allowed to grow right under your noses.”

There were a few indignant gasps at that, but Anakin forged on. “Serenity? That’s a laugh. I haven’t felt that emotion since before I left Tatooine. Harmony? Where’s the harmony in battle after battle where the only cries are those of death? And who are you to dictate that people don’t truly die, but dissipate into the Force? You think that’s a comfort to Rex, who’s lost dozens of brothers that he was close to and thousands upon thousands that he knew?”

Some of the council members, like Shaak Ti’s holo image and the recently recovered Master Billaba were starting to tear up, and Obi-Wan looked like he’d been shot in the guts, but Anakin couldn’t stop. Not now that he’d started.

“Skywalker, that’s enough!” Windu barked, starting to rise from his chair.

Anakin Force pushed him back down, narrowing his eyes at the dark skinned Master.

That earned even more gasps, and more people trying to rise from their chairs, but Anakin wasn’t having any of it. He swept out his hands and knocked them all back into their seats. “I wasn’t finished!” he bellowed.

They sat in stunned silence.

“And finally - and this is the one that kills me the most - no Attachments? Are you kriffing kidding me? Every Master who has a heart grows to love their Padawans. Not to mention at least half of you have, or at least had, secret lovers before they were killed thanks to this stupid war, which I know about thanks to the observant clones that you all are so shockingly undisturbed by, considering that they are slaves in everything but name. They’re more my friends than any of you have ever been.”

He stared pointedly at Obi-Wan and added, “Included in that list of Code breaking Jedi is my hypocrite of a Master, who I used to think loved me, but now I know that’s not true anymore.”

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan implored, attempting to stand again.

He pushed him back down again with a flick of his fingers, the Force feeling just as, or more, powerful in him at that moment than it had when he took down the Son and the Daughter at the same time. “Shut it, old man. I’ve had enough of your excuses. I was just your means of rising to quick power in the Order, wasn’t I? You’ve never cared about me. It was all an act to make me feel like I belonged here.”

Anakin sneered at the cringing Jedi Master, Obi-Wan's reaction to his words confirming his accusations in his mind. “I’m done with you,” he spat, and then spun in a circle and swept his outraged gaze over all of the Council members, who were mostly staring at him in horror. Except for Master Windu, who actually looked like he’d been eagerly waiting for this day to come. “I’m done with all of you! Find yourselves a new Chosen One to fix the Force for you, because it’s not going to be me!”

And with that, Anakin strode out of the room to the sound of Obi-Wan calling his name and Windu saying, “Let him go.”

_At least someone has some sense._

Anakin passed the Guards again, sensing their unease with whatever they may have overheard through the door, but they didn’t stop him. Which was probably a good thing, because the ex Knight was NOT in a good mood right now.

He made his way back down to the outer steps that Ahsoka had taken to exit the Temple, now understanding why she’d chosen that route; he didn’t want to be inside the Temple any more than necessary either. The steps eventually led to a hangar, where he hoped he’d find Ahsoka lingering, but there was no sign of her.

Saddened, but resigned, Anakin walked to where he could see the city street below, but saw no sign of a familiar Togrutan girl in the moving crowds, no matter how hard he looked with his eyes and Force senses. His shrivelled heart sank to the pit of his empty stomach that hadn’t wanted to eat anything while she was still being held as an accused murderer. He honestly felt like he was going to be sick.

Anakin reached for his commlink to call her but then remembered that she didn’t have a comm on her anymore. She didn’t have anything. No supplies. No credits. And no lightsabres. She’d only just left prison where they’d barely been convinced to leave her in her own clothes, thanks to Padmè, who considered Ahsoka to be a friend after all the guard duty the girl had done for her.

_“I’m so sorry, Ahsoka. Please, let me back in,” he thought as loud as he could._

But either she didn’t hear him or she didn’t want to hear him. The later thought hurt him to the very core. _“AHSOKA!”_ he screamed mentally into the Force.

Nothing.

No brush of warmth. No chiding, ‘Anakin, your thoughts are ringing in my montrals again’. No giggle of laughter at the game only she was playing that he would have forgiven her for if she'd just ANSWER.

But... nothing.

_I should have stopped her first before going to the Council._

_Why didn’t I stop her first?_

Depressed beyond words, Anakin turned away and trudged back into the Temple to pack his things, including Ahsoka's lightsabres, which he was extremely grateful that he'd been given as they were found. He wasn’t staying here any longer than absolutely necessary. And then, since hiding in the GAR base with Rex and the boys until he found Ahsoka again was probably a bad idea, he was going to the one friend he had left who might take him in.

Palpatine.


	2. Stolen

**Stolen:**

_Earlier…_

When Anakin brought a readily confessing Barriss Offee to Ahsoka Tano’s trial, thus clearing the Togrutan Padawan of all charges, Chancellor Sheev Palpatine – who liked to think of himself as Sidious in moments like these - was disgusted that all of his careful planning to get rid of the orange brat had failed.

But Darth Sidious was a canny and prudent man whose scheming mind was always prepared with several backup plans. Which meant that as soon as he had made the privacy of his office, Sidious was slipping into a hooded black robe as he holocommed his preferred bounty hunter, Cad Bane.

“Bane.”

The blue Duros tilted his head slightly in greeting. **“How can I be of service to you this fine evening, My Lord?”**

Even though the tone was anything but subservient, Sidious let the subtle insult slide because Bane was the most reliable bounty hunter available and the man was already rich enough that he didn’t need to work if he didn’t feel like it, so annoying him would make him just end the call. “I have a simple job for you. One that I think you’ll enjoy.”

Bane looked mildly intrigued, his large red eyes sharpening under the brim of his overly endowed hat. **“And what is that?”**

“I need you to make Ahsoka Tano disappear from Skywalker’s life permanently. I don’t care how you do it.”

Bane’s eyes narrowed. **“So you’re saying that I can kill her, sell her, or even keep her?”**

“Yes.”

A slow smile spread across Bane’s noseless face as he mouthed his ever present toothpick. **“Oh, the choices. I’ve always wanted another chance to dance with that feisty little thing.”**

Sidious smirked ever so slightly. _Perfect. Exactly what I was hoping._ “You have it.”

**“What kind of timeline are we talking here?”**

“As soon as possible.”

Bane grinned wider, somehow keeping hold of the toothpick in the corner of his mouth. **“You’re in luck. I was already on Coruscant for a job and then stayed to watch the Tano trial as it was broadcast. Loved the surprise ending. Better than a holodrama.”**

“I’m glad someone got some enjoyment from that,” Sidious grumbled.

 **“Not the finale you wanted, hunh? “** Bane chuckled. **“I get it. Worry not, I can stake out the Jedi Temple right away and have your precious Padawan problem eliminated as soon as she emerges unguarded.”**

“Do it.”

**“Consider it done. For my usual fee, of course.”**

“Of course. The credits will be in your account in a few minutes.”

Bane tipped the brim of his hat. **“Always a pleasure doing business with you, Lord Sidious.”**

Sidious turned off the comm and then settled back in his chair as he pushed the hood off his head. He steepled his fingers as a malicious smile settled on his lined face. _And now we wait. Anakin is bound to snap sooner than later if his little ‘Snips’ is no longer keeping him in the Light._

* * *

Not even half an hour later, Cad spotted his prey walking dejectedly down one of outside staircases of the Temple through his binoculars. He sat up in the speeder he’d been casually lounging in as he spied on the Jedi domicile, pulling his crossed feet off the side. _No way is it going to be this easy and quick._

But it was.

Instead of disappearing into one of the doors or hangars on the way down, Tano kept going, all the way down to street level. She merged into the crowd of pedestrians, paying almost zero attention to them as she walked with her head down and her arms wrapped around herself.

For someone who had just been granted her freedom, she looked downright miserable and more than a little lost as she walked aimlessly down the street. And still as filthy as she had during the broadcast of her trial.

She was also minus the two very important weapons that usually hung off her belt proudly. She was completely unarmed and defenceless as far as he could see. 

Cad almost felt sorry for her. But not even remotely enough to renege on his deal with Sidious or give up the opportunity to own such a prize for himself.

 _This must be my lucky day._

Tossing the binoculars on the seat beside him and the well-chewed toothpick into who-cares-where, Cad started up his stolen speeder and flew to a point ahead of Tano’s current path. Exchanging his hat for a hooded cloak, it was then it was a simple matter of blending into the evening crowd and waiting for the distracted girl to walk right past him.

About a minute later, she did. Her eyes were still downcast and there were tear tracks running through the dirt covering her uncharacteristically pale orange skin. Cad had never seen a Jedi so out of sorts or unaware of their surroundings. _Her own people sure did a number on her, didn’t they?_

He casually brushed past her, stabbing her upper arm with a fast acting, powerful tranquilizer as he did so.

That got her attention. “What? Hey!” Her head whipped from side to side as she flowed into a defensive stance, balancing on her toes and ready for anything. A few people around her gave her curious or annoyed looks for stopping suddenly, but Tano ignored them as she searched for the threat to herself.

Cad chuckled to himself as she eventually grumbled about imagining things, shook her head, rubbed her arm, and slumped again as she continued her walk to apparently nowhere. He followed along in her wake, watching as her steps grew slower and slower, her feet barely lifting off the ground.

When she stumbled, he moved in, slinging an arm around her slender waist. “Here, let me help you,” he said in a concerned tone, pitching his voice higher than normal so she didn't recognize him. 

The girl looked up at him through barely open eyes, confusion written all over her face, probably wondering why she was so tired all of a sudden and seeing double or triple of everything as the world around her spun sickeningly. (He knew this from doing personal tests of the very useful drug.) “Thank you, can you…” she stumbled again and swayed in his grip. Her eyes fluttered closed before struggling open again. “Ami… dala,” she whispered before she lost the fight against the drug and slumped bonelessly.

“Yeah. I think not.” Cad swept her up and over his shoulder, catching a whiff of her strong scent that brought to mind a sewer despite the filter on his breathing tubes. _Uggghh. First order of business is a bath for my new pet. And her clothes are going out the airlock._

Cad and his petite burden drew some curious glances from those around them, but like any pragmatic Coruscanti citizen, they just shrugged and minded their own business. He carried her the half block back to his parked speeder and dumped her sort of carefully into the back seat. “The good Senator’s apartment is the last place I’d take you, little lady. You’re mine now,” he told the sleeping girl smugly as he threw his cloak over her and then jumped into the driver’s seat. His favoured hat went back on his bald head and he started the speeder.

Behind him, his new pet murmured, “Master, help,” before going quiet again

Cad grinned as he pulled a new toothpick out of a pocket of his duster. _I’m your Master now, my pretty little Jedi._

He casually merged into the traffic lane high above the pedestrian street and then tootled along with the other speeders like a good law-abiding citizen.

Unlike a law-abiding citizen, though, he activated the holo comm on his vambrace and called the last frequency used. When the tiny hooded figure with the cringe-worthy jawline popped up half a minute later, Cad said, “It’s done. I have the girl.”

**“Already? I was not expecting such immediate results. Well done.”**

Cad scoffed softly. “She practically walked right to me, weaponless and weeping. An idiot could have caught her.”

**“Nevertheless, she’s still your capture. Now make sure Tano never steps foot on Coruscant again, and the further away the better.”**

“Not a problem.” Cad’s triumphant smile was colder than space as he turned off the comm. _She’s going to be much too occupied to ever have the chance to go back._

* * *

After hearing that Tano had walked away from the Jedi Temple in a sorry state, Sidious wasn’t surprised when Anakin all but dragged his dejected tail into his office no more than an hour later. The bag the boy was lugging over his shoulder was dropped like a dead weight to the floor beside the chair that Anakin slumped into with a truly pitiful sigh.

Despite being eager to know if any of his theories about the situation were correct, Sidious presented a concerned front. “What’s happened, my boy? Why are you here? I would have thought you would be celebrating with your Padawan right now.”

Anakin turned a woebegone gaze at him, stress lines and dark circles under his eyes making him look years older than his only recently turned age of twenty-one. “She left me. The Council tried to bribe their way out of their mistake by offering her an instant Knighting, and she left me. She’s blocked our bond and everything.”

_YES! I knew those pompous idiots would blow it eventually. And go me for guessing that the Council had something to do with Tano’s state of patheticness._

He may have been doing a mental victory dance, but Sidious kept his expression firmly in ‘grandfatherly sympathy’ mode. “Oh, my dear boy,” he said as he rose from his chair and walked around his desk to sit beside his future apprentice. “Surely they only meant well?”

Anakin’s eyes hardened. “Some of them, maybe. But Master Windu…” His fists clenched along with his jaw. “There was no apology in him. No remorse. He didn’t care that Ahsoka was put through hell. Didn’t care that they wrongly accused her.”

_Of course he didn’t. Mace Windu is all but a Sith wearing Jedi robes. His only goal has always been to be the most powerful of the Jedi and control the rest like his puppets. It always amazed me that no one else could see that. His purple lightsabre is a dead giveaway, after all._

Anakin was practically vibrating with anger now, and leapt up to pace some of it off in front of the window as the Force around them writhed with Dark glee. Sidious helped him out by subtly nudging his rage up another notch. “I hate them!” Anakin spat suddenly after one lap back and forth. He paused to look at Sidious from under thunderous brows. “I couldn’t stand their sanctimonious hypocrisy anymore, so I left the Order too.”

_Now THAT, I didn’t see coming so soon. I might have to make some amendments to my plans._

Sidious adopted a look of shocked alarm and rose to his feet, slowly approaching the pacing boy like he might attack like a wild nexu if provoked. “Are you sure you want to do that? You would be throwing away everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

“And what has that got me?” Anakin snarled. “A broken promise to my deceased mother? A Master who doesn’t care enough to even let me know when he’s not actually dead? A Padawan that I didn’t originally want that has left me with a hole in my chest? A ranking in the GAR that I didn’t even earn in the first place until AFTER I’d already watched too many of my men die?” He sucked in a breath. “What was the karking point of it all?!”

Sidious gingerly patted Anakin on the shoulder as if he wasn’t quite sure it was safe to touch him. “There, there. I’m sure everything you’ve done so far has had its purpose. The will of the Force and all that. Why don’t you crash on my couch for the night and let me deal with things. I’m sure I can pull some strings so that you can still keep your position as a General in the GAR if you want it. And we'll start looking for your Padawan tomorrow after she's had a night to settle down. We'll bring her back as your Commander if she's amiable. We still have a war to win, after all.”

Anakin blinked at the gentle reminder of the bigger picture and the pressure in the room eased off as he calmed. “I… Yes, of course. That would be great. To have Ahsoka back and keep my position in the GAR... That works for me. I would hate to lose the 501st as well. With the exception of yourself and Ahsoka, Rex and his brothers are the only real friends I have.”

Sidious patted the boy again, smiling benignly. “There, see? It’s already starting to look better, right?”

“Right.” Anakin smiled gratefully. “I knew coming to see you was the right thing to do. You always have the answers.”

Sidious smiled wider. “Years and years of experience, my boy. Years and years.”

_And centuries more to come, if everything plays out the way I foresee it._


	3. Answers

**A/N: I've come up with a new way to determine what order my stories get updated in starting Jan, 2021! Check out my bio/profile page or the pinned post on my Facebook page (TheLoneRebel's Stories) for details!**

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**Answers:**

Ahsoka woke up inside a cage and with a very uncomfortable Force-suppressing collar around her neck.

 _Poodoo. Anakin’s going to have kittens when he finds out I got myself captured again,_ she thought with a huff as she stared up at the wire mesh above the half-decently comfortable cot and blanket she was lying on. _He’s probably worried sick by now. I was going to go to Padmè’s until I figured out what to do with myself now that I’m not a Jedi anymore. He would have found me there and everything would be okay. Not great, but okay._

_Now… Now it’s all one big kriffing mess._

_He’ll think I abandoned him completely, when I know that’s the last thing he needs. We needed more distance between us for the sake of my own sanity, sure, but not this much. That’s why I turned down the offer to return to the Order; I thought I was never meant to remain with them in the first place._

_Why did I have to fall in love with my Master?_

_Why did I have to be assigned to a handsome young Knight with a heart as big as the galaxy and the soul of a warrior?_

_And why was I stupid enough to fall for someone who only ever had eyes for Padmè? A woman who doesn't love him back the same way he so desperately wants her to?_

_My Master and I have way too much in common sometimes._

The teenage girl sighed forlornly and rolled over onto her side, hugging the pillow to her chest as she curled around it. Slow tears trickled down her cheeks as the reality of her situation sank in. _I took the coward’s way out just to try and save myself from a little heartache. And now my useless pride has gotten me captured by who knows what kind of scum._

_I should have just taken the Knighting they offered me and quietly asked Obi-Wan to assign me to my own battalion of clones. That would have separated me from Anakin nearly as quickly and without the aching betrayal I saw in his eyes._

_I’m sure it’s ten times worse by now._

_Force, I’m such an idiot._

_Why didn’t I just think things through a little more?_

Sick of her own depressing thoughts, Ahsoka swiped at the moisture on her cheeks angrily and then she sprang off the bed as if she could leave behind all the pain in her heart by abandoning her place of self-pity.

It didn't really work, but the movement was enough to distract her from her thoughts. 

Her first instinct was to wrap her fingers around the annoying collar and tug, but it was locked at the back. She then tried to use the Force to telekinetically release the clasp, but the automatic connection she'd had for her entire life to the energy field known as the Force was absent, the midi-chlorians in her blood lulled into a dormant state thanks to the drug constantly dripping into her vein from a tiny needle in the collar.

“Kriffing, karking, fragging, shabla haran!” she cursed, adding Anakin’s, Obi-Wan’s, and Rex’s favourite swear words to her own, after mentally straining to get some sort of response from the Force for a whole minute and getting absolutely nowhere.

The only back-assward consolation about the whole thing was that she didn’t have to mourn the lost telepathic connection to the Kyber crystals in her lightsabres, because she didn’t have them and the odds of them being anywhere nearby were about one in a billion. She hadn’t had them for days now, and the ache of their departure from her person had been just one of the many wounds that were accumulating on her soul lately. 

Growling under her breath in a way that would have made the younglings at the Temple run for cover, Ahsoka assessed her surroundings.

Her cage was about the same size as her quarters at the Temple, containing only the cot and a small refresher in the corner with no screen around the facilities. The walls were made of the same mesh wire as the ceiling. And if the subtle buzzing in her montrals was any indication, the whole thing was electrified. She had no desire to test it. _At least I still have better hearing than the average being. And I can kick ass with or without the Force. Anakin made sure of that._

_Anakin…_

_I’m sorry._

She rubbed her forehead as a low grade-headache suddenly made itself known, probably from the drugs in her system and the neverending buzz. 

The only good news was that she was still clothed in her own burgundy battle outfit and there were no lingering aches to indicate that she’d been assaulted in any fashion. _Yet,_ her realistic side pointed out as she paced the length of the cage and back.

Beyond her prison, there was only an otherwise empty grey room that looked like painted duracrete. _So, I’m planetside somewhere. And possibly underground. I can’t hear anything past those thick walls. The question is, where am I?_

_And who stole me?_

Since that answer didn’t magically present itself in the next minute as she stared at the room’s thick looking door expectantly, Ahsoka shrugged and decided to make the best of whatever alone-time she had.

She made efficient use of the facilities provided, thankful to feel clean at least after nearly a week in prison cells and on the run in unsavoury places. The sonic shower even cleaned her clothes for her. She then sat cross-legged on the cot without removing even her boots and closed her eyes to try and remember some sort of clue as to who had captured her and how exactly they’d managed to do so.

The last thing she could recall clearly was walking down the Temple steps. After that things got decidedly more blurry. With some dedicated concentration, her mind reluctantly supplied her with the impression of a crowd of beings around her, then a feeling of sudden drowsiness. A helping hand preventing her from falling. She possibly said Padmè’s name, but that could have just been in her mind. An impression of being lifted. And finally, a familiar drawling voice saying, “You’re mine now.”

Ahsoka gasped and her eyes popped open. “Bane! That blue sleemo stole me!”

This time, the door actually did slide open as if her words were magic, and the nerfherding bounty hunter himself strolled through, platter sized hat and all. All she saw beyond the door before it slid closed again was a dim hallway, which was very unhelpful. She leapt off the cot and glared at the red-eyed Duros as he gave her a very satisfied smirk. “I wondered how long it would take you to remember, my pretty.”

From that one sentence, she understood that something in the room was monitoring her, whether it be a hidden camera or even her fragging collar. “I’m not your anything,” she hissed back, baring her sharp canines.

He grinned as he came to a stop directly in front of the door to her cage, exposing his own much larger and sharper teeth. “I beg to differ, little lady. You’re in my home. You’re wearing a collar of my own design, And your life from here on out depends on my generosity. That makes you mine.”

Ahsoka stayed planted in the center of her cage, nearly trembling with an emotion that was creeping dangerously close to rage. “What do you want from me?” It nearly killed her to ask it, but she needed to know, no matter how much she didn’t want to hear the answer.

Bane raked his red gaze over her from montrals to boots. Slowly. And then crawled it right back up again. Ahsoka shuddered in disgust, making him chuckle as he pulled a toothpick out of his duster’s pocket and started chewing on it. “Not what you’re thinking, my pretty Jedi, but I wouldn’t be opposed to a little action on the side if you ever feel frisky. You look just about old enough to go into your first mating heat, if I’m not mistaken.”

He wasn’t wrong. She had another year at the most before her body would drive her to mate with someone every month unless she was kept unconscious for a week or her Force meditation actually worked instead. Master Ti had been teaching her to use the Force to suppress the mating instincts but without actually experiencing a heat, she didn’t know if it would work. _And if I’m wearing this collar still…_

_I need to get out of here before that happens._

Deciding to turn this conversation away from what she’d rather not think about right now, she asked (well, still hissed, because she was still angry as hell), “So what are your plans for me?”

The solid crimson of his eyes glittered with excitement. “You, little lady, are going to make me a fortune in the arena. I have customers lining up from all across the galaxy wanting the chance to fight a real-live Jedi without the danger of facing one with access to the Force, for either themselves or their best warriors. Some even want to try their fencing skills on you and go the suicidal route, so you’ll get this to play with this for those fights.”

Ahsoka’s gaze lowered as he pulled one side of his duster open to reveal the silver hilt of a lightsabre hanging off his belt. She didn’t recognize it, but she felt like she should have. “Where did you get that?”

He let his coat swing closed. “It belonged to a very unhelpful Rodian.”

She inhaled sharply, memories clicking together like puzzle pieces. “Master Ropal!”

“Was that his name? I'd already forgotten.” Bane shrugged. “It matters little to me. He died out of sheer stubborn pride, and that I respect, but who he was other than a Jedi who wasn’t that hard to catch, whatever.”

She winced, unable to squash the disrespectful thought of, _Well, Ropal was no Anakin or even Obi-Wan,_ before it started.

Bane tilted his head slightly, and she realized that he wasn’t wearing the breathing tubes he was almost never without, at least as far as she’d seen him. His eyes had turned curious. “Speaking of not hard to catch, what had you so upset that you practically walked right into my hands?”

Ahsoka face heated with embarrassment as she looked away. _I will never live that one down if Anakin ever finds out._ “I…” _Why am I telling him? It’s none of his business! But I want to tell someone! And who else am I supposed to talk to? The ghost of Master Qui-Gon?_ She snorted at that ridiculous thought and looked back at Bane. “I had just left the Order for good. Technically, I’m not a Jedi anymore. I hope that doesn’t ruin your plans for me,” she added, layering on sweet sarcasm onto the last sentence like too much icing.

Bane laughed. “No, little lady. I doubt anyone will care even if they do find out. You’re a trained Jedi and that’s enough for them.” He paused for a second. “So you finally got sick of all the political poodoo that the Order was floundering under, did you?”

She gawked at how nearly accurate that was, and it probably wasn’t pretty. Aside from the Anakin conundrum, that had been her second reason for walking out. “How did you…”

He chuckled again, moving his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. “I’m not stupid. I see what’s happening probably even better than you so-called seers and sorcerers. I’ve got all the major players paying me to do their dirty work for them and I can tell you right now, all the sides in this war are just as crooked as the other.”

“That can’t be true,” she said, shaking her head in denial. She’d always believed in the integrity of the Republic. _If I don’t have that, what even do I have left to fight for?_

“Oh, It’s very true, my pretty. It’s not even going to matter who wins in the end, the rest of the galaxy is still going to lose.”

Her heart sank at the truth in his words. She didn’t need her empathic powers to hear the conviction in his tone. “Do you know who the Sith Lord is?” her curiosity had her asking before she could think better of it.

Bane tilted his head again. “Which one?”

“So there are two?”

“Yes.”

“We know about Dooku,” she admitted, “But we don’t know if he’s the Master or Apprentice.”

Bane tossed his mangled toothpick to the corner of the room as he looked at her with a hint of amusement. “Funny that you still talk like you’re one of them. One of the Great and Infallible Jedi Order.” She rolled her eyes at his own dose of sarcasm as her captor shrugged and gave the same answer she would have if he’d given her the chance to do so. “Old habits, I guess. Dooku’s the Apprentice, I’m almost sure of it. He takes orders from the other one.”

A sense of dread filled her, Force connection or no, but she asked it anyway. “And who is the other one?”

Bane took his time pulling out a fresh toothpick to gnaw on before he answered. His red eyes met hers steadily. “You really want to know? It won’t do you any good here. I’m not letting you out. Ever. And if you try to escape, your collar will behead you before you get even a kilometre away from me.”

_Well, that’s good to know at least. Stay within a kilometre of Bane. Check. Or find the device on his person that controls my collar._

_Mating heat might come in handy one day after all, because that’s the only way I’m going to be able to bear touching his murderous, scumbucket hide._

She suppressed the urge to shudder again and met his eyes with durasteel in hers. “Tell me.”

His nearly lipless mouth tilted up at one side. “Pretty sure the Sith Lord who keeps hiring me to do things like steal children, fake assassination attempts on his person, and get rid of pesky Padawans is none other than Chancellor Palpatine himself.”

“What?!” Ahsoka was so shocked, she actually stumbled sideways and collapsed on the cot before her legs forgot to hold her up. “Oh. My. Force. That explains so much,” she muttered to herself.

“It does, doesn’t it,” Bane drawled as if that wasn’t the most important piece of news the galaxy had ever heard.

Her head swivelled and she stared at the bounty hunter as if she could see through him. “Are you sure?”

He shrugged again. “Bout ninety percent. Have fun chewing on that while you try to sleep tonight. I’ll send my droid in later with dinner for you. Please don’t hurt him, I’m rather fond of the little pain-in-the-ass. Your first fight is scheduled for first thing tomorrow morning, so don’t get too caught up with what ifs and such; you’ll need your beauty rest for this one.”

With that, Bane turned and strolled back out of the room with a bit of a strut to his step and a happy whistle echoing a jaunty tune in her montrals.

Ahsoka stared blankly at the closed door he’d disappeared through for the longest time, thoughts spinning around and around in her mind.

_I know who the Sith Lord is and there’s nothing I can do about it._

_Palpatine hired Bane to make me disappear so Anakin would be vulnerable._

_Could he have had something to do with the Temple bombing? Could he have corrupted Barriss?_

_Anakin’s already been conditioned to do practically anything Palpatine says._

_The Sith Lord’s been worming his way into Anakin’s trust from the very beginning._

_I have a very, very bad feeling about this, and there’s nothing I can do to stop that speeder wreck from happening either._

_I wish I'd never asked for answers I didn’t want to hear._


	4. Whammied

**Whammied:**

After days of searching for Ahsoka on Coruscant with the help of Rex, the entire 501st, and a few hundred other clones who volunteered to help, Anakin was losing hope that they would find her on the city planet. Not even Dexter had heard a word about her, and he was the primary source of gossip in the underbelly of the planet.

He’d even been desperate enough to track down the confused dark mess that was Asajj Ventress. The Dathomirian witch had laughed at him for losing his Padawan again and then demanded her lightsabres back, having seen footage of Barriss confessing to the crimes and correctly assuming that Barriss was the one who had taken them. Anakin had taken great pleasure in telling her that he couldn’t get them for her because he was no longer a Jedi and that the High Council now had her lightsabres and that she’d have to go the Temple to retrieve them. That hadn’t gone over well at first, but then she’d taken to laughing again as she realized what he’d said. With the words, ‘How the mighty have fallen’ ringing through the air, Anakin had made a hasty exit before he silenced her permanently. (If he didn’t owe her for taking care of Ahsoka when he couldn’t, he probably would have, he was that pissed off with life right now.)

Not only could Anakin not sense the girl he had a very strong Force bond with, but she had disappeared without a single trace. They couldn’t even find security footage of her leaving the vicinity of the Temple. It was ludicrous, considering how many security cameras were in the area for the various businesses, but that’s what Palpatine said when he had his own computer expert look into the matter.

Ahsoka Tano had vanished.

And Anakin was wavering between despair and rage as a result.

He missed his Padawan desperately already, finding the world dark and dreary without the beacon of light that was her Force presence. But he also wanted to shake her until she snapped for abandoning him without another word as to where she was going and if she was even okay.

Which was why he was now standing at Padmè Amidala’s door with his last little glimmer of hope left whimpering in his chest and praying that his last desperate theory was right; that maybe Ahsoka had told one of her other friends where she was going instead.

Ahsoka didn’t have many friends outside of the Order, but Anakin had already commed all of the off-world ones. Lux Bonteri hadn’t even heard the news yet about her trial, not to mention that Ahsoka had left the Order, and had been just as concerned as Anakin and had promised to send word immediately if she showed up on Onderon or his apartment on Coruscant. The Duchess Kryze had been alarmed at the news but had also not heard from her. Hondo, who he’d commed just for the hell of it, had only tutted in sympathy and said, “The girl’s a Jedi, a beautiful Togrutan, and a skilled fighter. She’s worth a fortune. I hope for her sake she doesn’t fall into the wrong hands… Again.”

That had not eased Anakin’s mind whatsoever as he ignored the irony of Hondo's words.

Leaving Padmè for last, he had then tried all of the on-planet Senators that Ahsoka had befriended during various adventures or as their bodyguard. Chuchi, Mothma, Organa… none had a clue as to where she could be.

With a deep sigh, Anakin rang the doorbell and hoped that Padmè wouldn’t kick him right back out, since that’s what she’d done the last time he’d tried to visit her. (His attempts at courting her weren’t going very well lately.)

While he waited for someone to come answer the door, he rested his forehead against the wall beside it, closing his tired eyes for a minute. Despite Palpatine’s suggestion to crash on his office couch, Anakin hadn’t done so for more than half an hour, not with the driving sense that something was wrong and that he HAD to find Ahsoka. Instead, he’d gone to the G.A.R. base and enlisted the eager aid of Rex and the boys to search for her. Some of the 212th had even joined the hunt with Cody’s blessing. Two full rotations and many favours called in from the Coruscant Guard later, the entire planet had been scoured from top to nearly bottom (no one in their right mind went down in the very lowest levels). They’d checked every passenger log for departing public transports. Every hotel, motel, and backroom in a bar had been searched. Every dark alley and abandoned building. Hassled every low-life pimp for word of a new Togruta girl in their lineup. (Not that any of them thought Ahsoka would resort to prostitution, but most of the girls stuck in the business hadn’t gotten there voluntarily.)

In short, they’d run out of places on Coruscant to look. And expanding the search to other planets just wasn’t feasible or realistic. Not when there were literally thousands of worlds that Ahsoka could have gone to. 

Thanks to the Temple bombing, the last search for Ahsoka, and her subsequent trials, he hadn’t slept for more than twenty minutes at time in nearly a week. Anakin was fried and exhausted and just flat out ready to throw in the towel and tell the galaxy to go kark itself. He’d basically already told the Council to do that, so why not everyone else too?

The door finally slid open and a golden head peered at him. “Oh! Hello, Master Ani!” Threepio said brightly. “It’s good to see you!”

Anakin forced himself to straighten up off the wall and smiled wanly at the droid he'd gifted Padmè with back when they were still good friends and he hadn’t karked everything up by trying too hard to convince her that they were perfect for each other. (He’d known he should have waited a few more years until she forgot that she’d known him as pathetic nine-year-old and saw him as a man instead, but he’d been too impatient. And now that was biting him in the shebs, as Rex would say.) “Hi, Threepio. Is Padmè here?”

“Yes, Master Ani. She’s just finishing her dinner on the balcony. You know she likes to watch the sunset.”

“Yeah, I know.” Anakin gestured at the protocol droid who was still blocking the doorway. “Do you think I could see her?”

Threepio shook his head stiffly. “I’m sorry. The Mistress has given me specific orders to not let you in the apartment unless someone’s life is in danger. Does your visit regard a matter such as that?”

“Close enough,” Anakin said grimly. “Ahsoka is missing.”

“Oh dear.” Threepio took a step back, letting Anakin in. “That is most unfortunate. Artoo must be devastated; the young Mistress is always so kind to us droids.”

He winced mentally, because in the chaos of everything, he’d forgotten to get Artoo from the hangar area of the Temple when he left and hadn’t spared a thought for him since. _Some friend I turned out to be - can’t even remember my own droid. Best not tell Threepio about it, though. I’ll go get Artoo after this and take him to the base with me._

Anakin flashed a pained smile at the droid as he pushed past him. “Yes, she is. She’s kind to everyone that deserves it.” _So how badly must I have messed up to get the silent treatment from her?_

“Wait, Master Ani!” Threepio called, but Anakin quickly left the shuffling and protesting protocol droid behind with long, hurried strides as he made for the huge balcony that doubled as a living room, secondary dining area, and all around great place to hold a party. Padmè was sitting on one of the couches that faced towards the setting sun (the cloudy sky providing her with a flamboyant and colourful display this evening), her dark chocolate hair loose and tumbling down her back in cascading waves. With her back to him, she didn’t hear him enter the space (he might be frustrated and beyond tired, but he was still a trained Jedi and thus did not stomp), but Threepio’s echoing voice soon made its way down the hallway and to her.

Padmè spun around and rose, eyes widening and hand flying up to her chest as she saw him approaching. “Anakin! What are you doing here?”

She looked as beautiful as ever in a flowing baby blue gown that left her creamy shoulders bare, but he could hardly appreciate it for all the other emotions swirling inside him like a storm. “Padmè,” he all but moaned, sinking down onto a couch adjacent to hers. He buried his head in his hands, grinding his tired eyes with his palms and clenching his fingers in his hair till it hurt. It didn’t help. “I think I’ve somehow done everything wrong again.”

He could sense her hovering beside her couch still, indecision all but screaming into the Force from her. Threepio finally catching up seemed to trigger her to make a decision, though. “I’m sorry, Mistress, he said it was an emergency!”

“It’s okay, Threepio,” Padmè said kindly as she moved towards Anakin. “Can you go make some hot chocolates for us, please?”

“Yes, Mistress Padmè. Of course.”

Threepio trundled off, his joints a little noisier than they should be because Anakin hadn’t been around lately to do his usual maintenance on the droid. _I’ll tell her later that she needs to send him for an oil bath and systems check if she won’t let me do it._

She was standing right in front of him now, he could feel it, but he couldn’t bear to look at her. And then she touched his shoulder with tentative fingers. “Anakin… What’s wrong?”

He thrilled at her touch and the fact that she seemed to have (at least temporarily) forgiven him for being a pushy idiot, but he still couldn’t look at her. His knees were much less likely to find him wanting. “What isn’t?” he mumbled.

“Do you mean Ahsoka? I heard that she left the Order and was missing. I take it you haven’t found her yet?”

Well, that more or less confirmed that Padmè didn’t know where she was either. “No. How did you hear that?”

“Ani… You have literally thousands of clones out looking for her. I think the entirety of Coruscant has heard.”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess that would make the rumour mill, wouldn’t it?” he said grimly, still blearily peering through his hands at his knees. There was a barely visibly stain on the dark material on his left one. Probably a splash of something disgusting; he’d been down a lot of dank alleyways lately. “Did the gossip chain say anything about me leaving the Order too? Because I did. I blew up at Obi-Wan and the Council for how they treated my Snips and walked out.” _Okay, stormed out, but whatever._ “I think I’ve ruined my life. The Chancellor has smoothed things over with the Gar so I still have my command position, but what happens after the war ends? I’m not a Jedi anymore. What am I supposed to do?”

“Oh, Anakin…” Padmè settled on the couch beside him and touched his arm, gently tugging until he lowered it and his other and more or less looked at her. (He still couldn’t look in her eyes, afraid of what he’d see.) “No. that hasn't made the news yet as far as I know. But I’m sure you’ll find something useful to do after the war. You don’t have to be a Jedi to help people. I remember, when you were little, you used to always talk about freeing all the slaves. That would be a worthy cause to dedicate your life to. And I’m sure I could find enough support to help fund it. Your life will never be meaningless, not as long as the caring little Ani I know you have buried deep inside you is still determined to make the galaxy a better place.”

Feeling like a dark cloud had been lifted from his soul and a mountain had been pushed off his shoulders, Anakin finally tilted his head up all the way and looked her in the eyes. What he saw there made his chest hurt instead. Faith. Absolute faith in him. Padmè firmly believed what she’d said, and because she did, so did he. “Thank you,” he breathed as Threepio came back in carrying a tray with two steaming mugs on it. “I knew you’d be able to help me even if you hadn’t heard from Ahsoka. You’re always so smart and good at seeing the big picture.” He glanced at the mugs Threepio was putting on the coffee table in front of them. “And so caring. You even remembered my favourite drink from when I was just a kid.”

Padmè smiled a little, now radiating warmth and remembered fondness. “You looked like you could use some comfort food.” She then glanced up at Threepio, who was hovering. “Thank you, Threepio. Since I’m guessing Anakin hasn’t eaten lately, why don’t you warm up some leftovers for him?”

Anakin’s neglected stomach, which had previously been roiling more than anything, thought this was a great idea. He’s pretty sure his last meal had been a protein bar that Rex had all but force-fed him at blaster point many, many hours ago. 

“Of course,” Threepio said brightly and hurried back towards the kitchen.

Padmè moved to pick up her hot chocolate - which smelled so tempting, but he had no desire to burn his tongue on it, so he wasn't touching his until it stopped steaming - but he paused her by touching her arm briefly. Her gaze shot to his as she sat back up, a question in the cinnamon depths along with a hint of wariness. It hurt a little that she didn’t trust him not to try and use another (in hindsight) awful pickup line on her comparing her to sand or something, but he guessed he deserved it. “I just wanted to say how grateful I am that you’ve remained my friend all this time even when I do stupid things. True friends are very rare right now. There’s just you and Rex and the Chancellor left.”

“Of course I’ll always be your friend, Ani! You’re like a little bro…”

“Please don’t say it!” he interrupted quickly. “Don’t kill my dream.”

“Anakin…” Padmè sighed and lifted her hands to cup his face, her eyes searching his. “You have to understand I just don’t see you that way. You’ll always be little Ani to me.”

While it felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest yet again, he nevertheless raised his own hands to hold her wrists in a gentle grasp, not quite willing to give up all hope without one last effort. “Padmè, my angel,” he begged, his voice husky with emotion.

“I’m not your…” she started to say, but he talked right over her.

“Please…” He stared at her with his heart and soul and formidable willpower pouring from his gaze like a nearly tangible thing. “Please just see me as I am now. I’m not Little Helpless Ani anymore. I’m twenty-one years old and a grown man. I'm a karking GENERAL and lead thousands of men into battle on a near daily basis. I feel like I’ve lived three whole lifetimes already. So please. Don’t. See. Me. As. A. Kid. Anymore!”

Padmè blinked once. Slowly. Her eyes traveled over his face, across his shoulders, down his chest all the way to his belt, and then she slowly looked back up at his face. Her expression was strange and her emotions had oddly gone silent to him for a few moments, but when her eyes returned to his there was a new hum of awareness in her that had his breath catching in his throat. “Okay. I don’t see you as a kid anymore,” she said calmly, her tone a little monotonous, but maybe she was just in shock from the wake-up call.

“Good. Good,” he repeated, starting to smile as he squeezed her hands in gratitude. “This is a good start. Now if you could see me as desirable to you as well, that would be just perfect.” He was joking (mostly) when he said it, but he was still leaking enough hope into the Force even she should be able to feel it.

Padmè blinked slowly again. “See you as desirable. As you wish.” One more blink and then her expression turned heated as she swept her gaze over his features before landing on his mouth and staying there.

Anakin hardly had time to suck in a surprised breath before she had her hands buried in his hair and her lips moving heatedly over his. So enthralled was he with the rush of pleasure and joy as he returned her kiss, Anakin never thought to question why she might have so abruptly changed her attitude towards him.

He should have.

* * *

**A/N: So I have some news.**

**I'm now unemployed. Because I've moved. I have another job lined up, but it doesn't start until April at the earliest, which means I'll have lots and lots of time to write for you guys. That's the good news. The bad news is that after cleaning stalls and taking care of horses for 26 years, I feel it's time to try and do something a little more meaningful with my life before I kick the bucket and my headstone says, 'Here Lies the World’s Best Stall Cleaner'.**

**What I really want to be is a full-time writer. I'd prefer to just write fanfics for you all, but it's already been proven to me that that just isn't possible. So I've started the process of converting as many of my stories as I can into original works and have set up a website where you all can continue reading your favourite stories in a somewhat different version for a small fee. (50 cents a chapter or $5 for an entire finished story is what I'm currently thinking. Anyone agree with me that this sounds fair?)**

**I’ll also continue picking away at the fanfics that I can’t convert because they’re just too strongly based on canon, but probably not as often as you’re used to. (Which is already months between updates because of how many stories I have, lol.)**

**If there's anyone out there who'd prefer that I write your fanfics full-time as they are instead, well... you know what to do. And if you don't, pm me. My Facebook page, TheLoneRebel’s Stories, will have updates and new information as it becomes available.**


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